Glendale residents deal with power outages, cleanup after storm

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Power lines were still down Sunday night and more than one-thousand customers were still without power after Saturday’s hard-hitting monsoon storm.

One of the hardest hit areas is in the West Valley near 59th Avenue and Greenway Road.

Crews spent the day clearing out uprooted trees after the storm knocked them over onto homes.

It’s quite the mess that Glendale residents said they don't see much around here.

"Didn't feel like Arizona," said Jeremy Grise.

"It was bad," said Amy Deschamp.

"It's just a very very sad day," said Linda Workinger.

Workinger said she was inside her home when all of a sudden, "The wind picked up and the rain just started pouring, and we couldn't see out the windows."

She said the rain was hitting the windows so hard that she couldn't even hear her big 43-year-old tree come crashing down onto her block wall and into the street.

"It was a favorite tree of all the neighbors," said Workinger.

The tree was uprooted from her backyard. When neighbors noticed, Workinger said they all pitched in and helped.

"People across the street, sons and daughters all came out and moved the branches as my son cut them, and there was a kid running around with a chainsaw and it's not even Halloween; he came and he helped," said Workinger.

Her olive tree is also in pieces now after it toppled over in her front yard.

"The wind just smashed,” said Workinger. "There's no saving it now."

A tree near Acoma and 59th Avenue was another of many trees that also crashed down with the wind Saturday.

"It sounded like the roof was just caving in," said Amy Deschamp.

It was scary for Deschamp, and her son Gavin who were just feet away inside their home when it happened.

"He was out looking through his window, and that's when we started hearing it crack and the branches were flying. And I'm like ‘nah, we need to get away from the window,’" she said.

Fortunately, the branches fell on the ground rather than on the condos.

"I'm really happy though that it went this way," said Deschamp.

Deschamp said residents did have to deal with a power outage that lasted for almost 24 hours.

APS crews are working to restore power and clear up the web of power lines knocked down by the storm.

They said it may not be Tuesday before they can open the area near 59th Avenue and Greenway Road to traffic.